--- description: Find out why Lewis Hamilton is one of the 100 most influential people of 2020. title: Lewis Hamilton: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4404bc6f1fb655a1/698a124a4ee2625143317eda/time-100-Lewis-Hamilton.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 22, 2020 # Lewis Hamilton by Bubba Wallace  NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP takes a knee on the grid in support of the Black Lives Matter movement prior to the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 09, 2020 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP takes a knee on the grid in support of the Black Lives Matter movement prior to the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 09, 2020 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Bryn Lennon—Getty Images [Lewis Hamilton](https://time.com/lewis-hamilton-formula-one/ "undefined") is someone I’ve idolized. He’s poised to win his seventh Formula One championship this season, tying Michael Schumacher’s record. Seven is a magic number in racing. Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty have each won seven NASCAR season titles. Lewis, 35, is young enough to keep winning championships and setting new all-time records. I’m the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top level. So [Lewis’ example](https://time.com/4298226/lewis-hamilton-2016-time-100/ "undefined")—as the lone Black F1 driver—is particularly meaningful for me. He shows we’re out there doing it. To see him [conquering the track](https://time.com/4604712/lewis-hamilton-interview-trump-rosberg-mercedes-teammate-black-lives-matter-and-his-formula-1-future/ "undefined") damn near every weekend, it motivates me to try to do the same. His activism has also moved the world. Lewis has brought[ international attention to the Black Lives Matter movement](https://www.espn.com/f1/story/%5F/id/29403635/hamilton-unveils-black-lives-matter-tribute-helmet-2020-f1-season "undefined"), through his advocacy on social media and at F1 events. Lewis’ mental preparation, his aura, his ability to capitalize on every opportunity to use his platform to drive out racism are more than just a model for race-car drivers and other athletes. He’s an inspiration for everyone. [_Wallace_](https://time.com/5870455/bubba-wallace-interview/ "undefined") _is a driver in the NASCAR Cup Series circuit_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888433/lewis-hamilton/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888433/lewis-hamilton/"},"headline":"Lewis Hamilton","datePublished":"2020-09-22T22:10:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:59.165Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888433/lewis-hamilton/","keywords":["TIME 100","T100 2020","T100 2020 Titans"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4404bc6f1fb655a1/698a124a4ee2625143317eda/time-100-Lewis-Hamilton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4404bc6f1fb655a1/698a124a4ee2625143317eda/time-100-Lewis-Hamilton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888433/lewis-hamilton/","name":"Lewis Hamilton"}}]}] ```